Under Florida’s Right to Know law, the salary of any state or local government employee is a public record, and you can look most of them up for free at salaries.myflorida.com. The right comes from Article I, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, which together treat compensation paid with tax dollars as open information.1Florida Senate. The Florida Constitution2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 119.011 – Definitions You do not have to explain why you want the information. The statute lets “any person desiring to do so” inspect and copy public records, and an agency that demands a reason is already overstepping.3Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 119.07 – Inspection and Copying of Records
Searching the State Salary Portal
The main tool is the “Florida Has a Right to Know” portal, which links to a dedicated salary search page.4Florida Has a Right to Know. Florida Has a Right to Know It covers employees paid through the state’s People First personnel system, and the data refreshes every Monday.5Florida Has a Right to Know. State of Florida Employee Salaries
You can search by employee name, agency, class code, or salary range. Each result shows the employee’s agency, position number, name, employee type, full-time or part-time status, class title, state hire date, annual salary, and OPS hourly rate where applicable.5Florida Has a Right to Know. State of Florida Employee Salaries Results can usually be exported to a spreadsheet for side-by-side comparisons.
Read the numbers carefully. The annual salary field reflects the fixed rate for the position and won’t necessarily capture overtime, bonuses, or special allowances. OPS (Other Personal Services) employees appear with an hourly rate rather than an annual figure, so you would need to estimate total earnings based on hours worked. Salary amounts themselves are never exempt, but personal details like Social Security numbers, home addresses, and dates of birth are, particularly for law enforcement officers, judges, firefighters, and other categories with safety-based protections.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 119.071 – General Exemptions From Inspection or Copying of Public Records
Employees the State Portal Doesn’t Cover
The state portal is not a universal database. Whether a position shows up depends on whether the employee is paid through the state payroll system or a local one. County governments, cities, public school districts, and universities often maintain their own separate salary databases. If your search comes up empty, check the official website of the specific county, municipality, school district, or university. Many post payroll data directly; others make you ask.
Filing a Public Records Request
When online tools don’t have what you need, submit a public records request straight to the agency. Florida law does not require a specific form or format. Written requests are safer because they create a paper trail, though the statute doesn’t technically require writing.
Send the request to the agency’s custodian of public records. Be specific: name the employee, the agency, and the time period. Precision helps the agency respond faster and reduces the chance of a special service charge for extensive labor.
The statute does not set a firm response deadline. Courts have read it to require only that the custodian respond within a “reasonable time” needed to retrieve the records and redact any exempt information. A simple salary lookup should be quick. Large or complex requests take longer, and unreasonable delay can itself become grounds for a legal challenge.
What Copies Cost
Inspecting records in person is free. Copies carry fees set by the Public Records Act:
- Standard one-sided copies up to 14″ x 8.5″: up to 15 cents per page
- Two-sided copies: an additional 5 cents per page
- Certified copies: up to $1 per copy
- Other formats: the actual cost of duplication
If the request is big enough to require significant staff time or IT resources, the agency can add a reasonable special service charge tied to its actual labor and technology costs.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 119.07 – Inspection and Copying of Records A single salary lookup won’t trigger it. A request for compensation data across every employee in a large agency over several years probably will, and the agency should quote a cost before starting.
If the Agency Refuses to Release the Records
You have two practical routes when an agency won’t cooperate: litigation with fee-shifting, or free mediation through the Attorney General.
The Five-Day Notice and Attorney Fees
Florida Statute 119.12 says a court “shall” award reasonable attorney fees and enforcement costs when two conditions are met: the agency unlawfully refused access to a public record, and you gave the custodian written notice at least five business days before filing suit. That notice window gives the agency a final chance to comply. If the agency fails to prominently post its custodian’s contact information in its main office and on its website, the notice requirement is waived entirely.8Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 119.12 – Attorney Fees
Attorney General Mediation
The Florida Attorney General’s office runs a voluntary public records mediation program that uses a neutral mediator who must be a member of the Florida Bar. It supplements your legal rights rather than replacing them.9Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 16.60 – Public Records Mediation Program For a straightforward salary dispute with an uncooperative but not hostile agency, mediation is often faster and cheaper than court.
Private-Sector Pay Is Not Covered
Florida’s Right to Know framework is a public-sector tool. The state has no pay transparency law requiring private employers to post salary ranges in job listings or share pay data with applicants. If you’re trying to find out what a private company pays, you’ll need to rely on voluntary disclosures, job postings, or salary survey sites. No legal right to that information exists in Florida.